Second Chances
by Kobayashi Shiki
Summary: M/M, Two souls are brought back to the land of the living, how will Cloud react now that he's older and wiser? How will they fix a broken world? How will he prevent his heart from breaking? DISCONTINUED.
1. Revival

KEY: /text/ : emphasized words, memories & private thoughts.  
//text// : free thoughts & mind2mind speech Times where the Cetra speak to Cloud it's supposed to be a dream state and are represented the same as flashbacks with: ~text~  
  
Okay first off yes there are a few OC in this story which I of course own but all other characters (you know who they are) belong to the people at Squaresoft so don't sue me or anything. Inside there will be YAOI and SHOUNEN-AI which mean, male/male sex and boy love. If you have a problem with this then turn around and go back the way you came. This is also one of my first fanfictions so please, be gentle ^_~ And yes this section has been re-posted so I could fix some things so now you can enjoy.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Lightning flashed, striking the edge of the rocky cliff, sending smocking rocks flying into the wide, deep chasm.  
  
In the middle of the wind and rain ravaged field stood a lone man.  
  
His clothes were soaked and his hair was plastered to him, his gaze wandered about the world around him, the world he didn't recognise and then settled on the dark sky above him, not bothering to squint against the falling rain. At the back of his mind he felt a tugging, a nagging feeling that he knew where he was but every time he reached for the name it moved so it would stay just out of his reach.  
  
He had woken up here in the middle of the plain with no memory of who he was, where he had come from and even why he was where he was. At first it had frustrated him but he quickly pushed it aside and tried instead to figure out where he was, it did not take him long to give up on that too.  
  
With a sigh of resignation he reached up with both hands and pushed his long silver hair away from his wet face then turned and started to walk toward the horizon.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Lightning flashed, striking the long beach and sent sand flying into the air. Thunder roared sending birds in frantic search of a safe haven from the storm. Bellow the seas surface fish and other sea life continued to swim about oblivious to the raging winds and erratic bolts of lightning that occasionally stretched all the way to the ground.  
  
Bellow the waters surface a figure was rapidly sinking into the ever calm shadowy depths, suddenly the figure stirred and the air rushed out of his lungs.  
  
He made a desperate attempt to swim back to the surface but he was too heavy and only continued to sink, his hands flew to the armor that he wore and clawed at the straps until it came free from his body and continued to sink. He tried again but he was still too heavy and he was beginning to run out of what little air he had, he clawed at his shirt and dragged it over his head and flung it away from him then undid his boots and let them slide from his feet.  
  
Slowly he ceased sinking but when he tried to make for the surface he found that he went to slowly and exhausted himself quickly so this time he reached for the belt around his waist and worked on the clasp until it came free and the huge metal and leather belt slid from his body and followed the other pieces of clothing that was currently sinking below the man.  
  
Again he tried for the surface and to his relief he went up faster and more smoothly.  
  
As soon as his head broke the surface he gasped in the air and felt relief wash over him once again, for several long minutes he simply floated there and let the rain hit him as he enjoyed the taste of the crisp fresh air that rain always brought. Slowly he forced himself to push his body upright in the salty water and gazed around at his surroundings. Not to far I the distance he could make out a clear beach. Lightning flared out across the horizon as he began to swim towards it and thunder danced through the clouds making him double his efforts and but the time he collapsed on the sandy surface of the beach he found himself to be out of breath again.  
  
Lightning arched through the sky and hit the water not far from the surface and hastily he pulled his legs out of the water and moved away from the seas edge and crawled further up the beach until his strength gave out and he collapsed unconscious onto his stomach.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Rain drizzled down from the sky as the storm slowly came to a close.  
  
Cloud made his way across the open grassy field to single huge tree that sat directly in the middle of it. Beneath the tree stood four tall headstones. Each of them was made out to the point of perfection, it had taken him hours to do just one of them but in the end it was worth it. Each headstone bore the name of someone he had cared for and had lost.  
  
Barret, the huge man with a gun for an arm whom had fought by his side and who had always been ready to fight if he called.  
  
Aeris, who had encouraged him to do his best and what needed to be done, even when he would have preferred not to.  
  
The next headstone belonged to Zack, he smiled as the image of his long gone friend came to mind.  
  
~ .what do you mean another date? ~  
  
~ nothing.but isn't this the fifth one today? ~  
  
~ What's your point? ~  
  
As far back as he could remember, Cloud could recall having that conversation thousands of times over, or whenever Zack told him about a date, which if Cloud could remember correctly was just about everyday.  
  
Cloud laughed wryly as the memories continued to play themselves out in his mind. He swept a hand absently through his golden blond hair, pushing it away from his face. He'd been living on his own after AVALANCHE's final team battle at north crater years, during their travels they had come across the 'round island' that was devoid of any life except for the occasional monster and the birds. He had settled down there, just him and his two gold chocobos Mya and Meros a female and male and his quaint little cottage he had built and took up the task of breeding the two while simply relaxing and enjoying the quiet. He had always understood that the human body required some maintenance to keep it running smoothly. They were: food, water, sleep, shelter, warmth. Grooming had never been a major priority to him and since there was no one to remind him or even do it for him, so naturally his hair never got trimmed when it needed it and as a result it now reached halfway down his thighs. In his defense he did get out a knife and hack at it for a bit until it was no longer in his way.  
  
Even though he had spent years here when he looked in the mirror he appeared to be the same as he had the day before and the day before that, he did not wrinkle, his hair did not whiten and the glow in his eyes did not diminish as time went by.  
  
He sat there in front of Zacks headstone for a moment more then shifted his eyes to the next one and read the perfectly chiseled name there. Sephiroth.  
  
He sighed as he recounted the fight at north crater then pushed it from his mind as he recounted the earlier days while he was still with soldier, before the events at Nibleheim. Sephiroth was the greatest soldier alive, a born warrior and a brilliant tactician, many of the young cadets at the academy joined simply because they hoped they might catch a glance at the famous general. Cloud laughed despite himself, he had been one of those cadets, he had joined so he would be strong, so he would be like Sephiroth. But in time he did that and more.  
  
He brushed away the thoughts and turned his eyes to the last stone.Cloud Strife.  
  
He was alive still, he had not died, but something else had. That day when he had slain Sephiroth in north crater he had lost part of himself that he didn't know was there. He had killed his last shred of innocence, the oh so precious thing that all living beings are born with. The thing that stopped humans from committing evil acts, Sephiroth had been robbed of his by ShinRa and by bringing justice to Sephiroth, by killing him, Cloud had lost the last shred of his own. He stared at the stone for a moment more then turned and made his way back to through the forest to his cottage.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
He stuffed the last bit of bread into his mouth and absently wondered why his cooking never seemed to have any flavor to it. In the back of his mind he remembered the taste of the rations they were fed while with soldier and grimaced. He was pretty sure no taste was better than what he had to go through everyday. He stood and put his plate in the empty sink and idly wondered how the ever hungry Zack had been able to put up with eating their sad excuse for food so easily. He shook his head and made his way out of the tiny kitchen and into the living area and sat in the old rocking chair he had made years ago and let his eyes wander over the walls and over the things on them.  
  
Secured to the walls were his weapons, from the Buster sword he had received from Zack to the Ultima weapon that hung on its own as if it were a significant decoration.  
  
He watched it as the sun began to set and the light from the sun played across its crystalline form making it almost seem alive. Of course he knew better, he knew that as soon as his hand wrapped around it that he would hear its voice, the voice of Ultima weapon, whisper to him. Just like he could hear the voice of the ancients, the cetra in his sleep. Without knowing it he stood and started to make his way over to the weapon and wrapped his right hand, his sword hand around it and lifted it from its resting place on the wall.  
  
//I watch you.// It whispered.  
  
His eyes slid across the blade and gently did the same with his free hand. //I know//. He replied.  
  
//I can feel it, you pine after the things you have lost.//  
  
//Sometimes, but I'm human. //  
  
//Does such a thing allow you to become lazy, to forget the hunt?//  
  
Cloud tilt his head to one side and considered how to answer its question. //No.//  
  
//Then why do you not hunt? I know you long for it. You want it but you stay here in your den, you won't allow yourself to hunt.//  
  
The blond warrior shook his head wryly. //Then we'll go now and hunt, would that make you happy?// He asked it, already knowing the answer.  
  
//I live to hunt.//  
  
Smiling he checked the materia that was equipped to the sword then sheathed it behind his back and took down his platinum bangle and secured it to his left wrist and gazed down at the materia slots then moved over to the other side of the wall where all of his summon materia rested. He picked the up and set them into the slots saying their names in his mind as he did so and slightly relished in the fact that he could hear their voices calling him and that he felt their presence envelop him. /Ifrit, Shiva, Chocobo/Mog, Rumah, Titan, Odin, Kujata, Bahamut, Alexander, Neo Bahamut, Leviathan, Phoenix, Hades, Bahamut Zero, Typhoon, Knights of the Round./  
  
From the materia he sensed a feeling that he had been missed, that the spirits residing inside the materia's stony gemlike barrier had been waiting for him to take them up again, to hold them. It felt strange, he couldn't remember their voices being as strong the last time he had touched them.  
  
//You have grown stronger.// Even know the Ultima weapon spoke.  
  
//I suppose.but I haven't done any training in years.//  
  
//You have.. this time you have spent in silence, in thought, you have developed your mind thus giving you a stronger will and sharpened senses.//  
  
Cloud considered this as he wound his way through his house towards the door. //What about you? You're voice is the same as always.//  
  
//No, even my voice is stronger to you, in the past your touch was required to hear my voice now you hear me even without it.//  
  
Cloud stepped through the door and closed it behind him and made his way over to the trees.  
  
//You're going there again.//  
  
//Just for a moment, there have been monsters there.//  
  
//So you go to hunt then?//  
  
It knew that wasn't the only reason and Cloud resisted the urge to smile.  
  
//You know me too well.//  
  
//Perhaps, but perhaps not. You and I, we are alike, in many ways. Think not that I know you well but that I know myself best.//  
  
//You sound like a philosopher.a philosopher with no name.//  
  
//I've had eons to contemplate many things.as for my name.I have one.//  
  
//But no real ones.// Cloud though wryly.  
  
//I have the names I was given, that is enough.//  
  
//So I'll continue to call you Ultima Weapon?//  
  
He felt a slight disapproving feeling from the weapon at him back. //If that is what you want, but if not then call me nothing at all.//  
  
Cloud scoffed at that. //I'd rather call you friend.//  
  
//Foolishness, friendship is something for humans and beast kind not animals and weapons.//  
  
//You said I could call you what I want.// Cloud pointed out as they reached the clearing beyond the trees and caught sight of the familiar headstones that he had visited earlier that day.  
  
//Your prey is close.// It told him.  
  
/Changing the subject/, Cloud thought to himself and shook his head. His eyes scanned the clearing until he saw something moving through the trees on the other side of the clearing. //There.//  
  
He kept his pace normal and moved over to the headstones and unsheathed Ultima weapon and laid it out on the ground in front of him as he knelt between Zack and Sephiroth's stones and closed his eyes.  
  
//You will lure it?//  
  
//Yes.// Cloud replied while he let his other senses sharpen.  
  
Already he could hear the sounds it made as it crashed back and forth in the shrubbery trying to decide if it would strike or not. Cloud waited in silence listening to the voices of the materia hum and sing and to the rest of the world. Behind him he could hear the monster clear the bushes and take a few steps toward Cloud's still figure before darting back.  
  
//It is wary, it can smell your strength.//  
  
Cloud ignored the comment and instead he rose to his feet slowly bringing the Ultima weapon with him. In one smooth motion he spun around and brought his blade to the ready. A Grand Horn stood perhaps five feet away from him eyeing him uncertainly.  
  
//Will you hunt?//  
  
The spiky blond shook his head and turned his back on the monster. //There's no point, it knows I'm stronger and won't attack.// Cloud replied as he walked away.  
  
//So there will be no hunt?//  
  
//I'll hunt.//  
  
//You will go to the cave?//  
  
//Yes.//  
  
The materia cave where he had found Knights of the Round was just on the other side of the island, a short distance in comparison to the on from Round island to Kalm or North Crater. There he knew the monsters would be strong and they would fight, years of battling and living so close to a materia spring hand ensured that. Their were fierce and far more wild than other monsters, there he knew would not be a challenge but at least creatures that made him have to stop thinking and rely on his battle instincts. Which was exactly what he was after.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Cloud wiped the few beads of sweat from his forehead then sank to the sandy ground.  
  
He had spent close to three hours fighting the various monsters inside the cave then strangely in the middle of a fight the monster he had been fighting stopped where it was and turned its eyes to the sky, even if it could not see it inside the cave, and then withdrew further into the cave having totally forgotten that Cloud was even there.  
  
Seeing no chance or point of continuing Cloud had made his way out of the cave and down to the beach where he sat now. With a sigh he lay back on the sand and starred up at the sky. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were out shining brightly, the air smelled as if it had rained recently and the crickets sang happily oblivious to the blond warrior or his weapon.  
  
/Beautiful./ Cloud thought as he stretched then brought one arm up underneath his head.  
  
He felt a surge from Ultima weapon.  
  
//Are you happy now?// He asked it.  
  
//I am content.//  
  
Cloud smiled softly and let his eyes slide close.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
~ "It is time." ~  
  
~ Cloud started and gazed around himself, black, in all directions. ~  
  
~ "I'm dreaming?" ~  
  
~ "Yes, we needed to speak with you." ~  
  
~ He opened himself to their presence. ~  
  
~ "Cetra." ~  
  
~ "Yes, we had to speak to you, Cloud Strife." ~  
  
~ "Why?" ~  
  
~ "They have returned." ~  
  
~ "Who has?" ~  
  
~ "Those from your past, they have been returned to the living realm. They have been given a second chance, but you must guide them, teach them so they do not repeat their mistakes." ~  
  
~ "Who? Who's returned?!" ~  
  
~ "Those from your past." ~  
  
~ ".Zack.Sephiroth." ~  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
He woke with a start, his breath coming out in ragged gasps.  
  
//The ancient ones spoke with you?//  
  
"Yes." Cloud replied, speaking out loud. "They're back.but that's impossible."  
  
//The ancient ones are never wrong, anything they have told you is truth.//  
  
That thought hit Cloud and settled into the back of his mind. "Then."  
  
//Think of it later, someone approaches the island.//  
  
"Who?"  
  
//The man who is beast//  
  
Cloud grimaced at the title Ultima weapon had given Vincent while the team was still together. He rose stiffly then looked up at the sky, he had been asleep for hours, the sun was starting to rise in the east. Shaking his head he turned his eyes to the ocean and sure enough he could make out the outline of someone riding in fast on a chocobo.  
  
The last time he had seen Vincent was when the ex-turk had come to find him a few years ago, bringing news, memories and some supplies. The news had been both good and bad, Barret had been killed in battle the year before while it seemed Tifa had settled down with a man from Mideel and had had two children, twins sons, she called Cloud and Tide.  
  
That news had brought relief for him since he had been wondering if Tifa would ever stop chasing after him and find happiness on her own. Cloud sighed as he watched Vincent draw closer and found himself wondering what news the older man had brought him this time.  
  
//You fear ill news?//  
  
//Always//  
  
Vincent reined in his gold chocobo as soon as he reached the beach then quickly dismounted and closed the distance between Cloud and himself. "Cloud." He said by way of greeting.  
  
Cloud smiled at his old friend. "It's good to see you again Vincent, it's been a long time."  
  
"You're damn right it has."  
  
The blond blinked, taken aback by the outburst of uncharacteristic display of emotion.  
  
Vincent stared at him for a while then sighed and shook his head. "It's been far too long Cloud."  
  
"It's only been." He said before being cut of by Vincent.  
  
"It's been nearly /twenty years/ since North Crater Cloud."  
  
The ex-soldier stared at him in disbelief then blinked. "Impossible, I only saw you."  
  
"Nine years ago, before that it took me eight years to find you and before that we all agreed that it would be best to leave you alone for a while." Vincent informed him pointedly.  
  
Cloud stared at him a moment longer before bowing his head. "I'm sorry.I didn't realize."  
  
Vincent sighed in resignation and shook his head then he clapped a hand on one of the blondes shoulders. "Don't worry about it, I didn't really expect you to count the days.we should get inside."  
  
Cloud nodded then took hold of the reins of Vincents chocobo then reached down for the Ultima weapon.  
  
"Is that." Vincent whispered.  
  
"Ultima weapon?" Cloud finished for him then nodded and lifted the crystalline blade so Vincent had a better view.  
  
//His power has grown also.//  
  
//Probably.// Cloud replied.  
  
Vincent was staring at his face intently. "It talks to you?"  
  
Cloud nodded as he sheathed the weapon.  
  
"What did it say just now?" The ex-Turk inquired softly.  
  
The blond smiled at his friend. "It said you're stronger."  
  
The older man nodded and followed Cloud as the younger man led him to his cottage.  
  
"How is everyone?" Cloud asked as he sank into a chair.  
  
Vincent leaned back into his chair, the only other one in the room and sighed. "Tifa's well but the years are starting to catch up to her.she's a widow now, how husband was killed by bandits a little while back. Her sons, Tide and Cloud have grown up well and they help her with her bar."  
  
"Tifa has a bar?" Cloud interrupted.  
  
Vincent nodded. "She said it 'felt more like home' running a bar."  
  
The other man nodded but remained silent.  
  
"RedXIII is the leader of Cosmo Canyon, it seems he cloned himself so now he has children of his own, two, one boy and one girl. Marleen, Barrets daughter, is working on building a branch of AVALANCHE that, she hopes, will clean up the mess ShinRa and Midgar made. Reeve is still working up rebuilding ShinRa, except this time they're going to be protecting the planet and everyone on it. From what I saw it's going fairly well, instead of using mako to power everything they're using chocobo power, chocobo breeders are making money selling their chocobos to them."  
  
Cloud nodded letting all of the information sink in.  
  
Vincent closed his eyes thoughtfully. "Cid's working with Reeve to rebuild the ShinRa space exploration program. Yuffie apparently got married but otherwise hasn't changed."  
  
The blond chuckled at the image of Yuffie darting around trying to steal materia, husband in tow. "What about you Vincent?" He asked suddenly.  
  
The older mans eyes slid open and the blood red eyes regarded him intently. "Me?"  
  
Cloud simply nodded.  
  
"I've.been traveling, now that the fighting has died down there really isn't much for me to do except travel or go back to my little room in Nibleheim." His voice trailed off and they both sat there in silence until finally Vincent spoke again. "How have you been?"  
  
Cloud blinked and stared at the other man for a moment, recalling what the Cetra had told him earlier. "Health wise I'm fine."  
  
Vincent raised one dark eyebrow. "Health wise?" He repeated calmly.  
  
"The Cetra spoke to me today, just before you got here."  
  
"What did they say?"  
  
The blond watched the ex-Turk for a moment before standing and turning to face the window, giving him a view of the beach. "They've come back."  
  
"Who has Cloud?" Cloud didn't need to turn around to know that Vincent was frowning.  
  
"Zack.and Sephiroth."  
  
There was a short silence then, "Zack.from your past?" Came the soft inquiry.  
  
Cloud nodded and for a moment his vision blurred as old and painful memories resurfaced, they cut as deep as they day they occurred. Zack bleeding from multiple wounds but determined to protect him to the end then Sephiroth, the one winged angel. The fight for the planet, the pain, relief and thanks that shone in Sephiroth's eyes as Cloud slaughtered the only person he really admired.  
  
"And Sephiroth?"  
  
He nodded again and sighed. "Yes."  
  
"Where are they?" The dark haired man asked quietly.  
  
Cloud turned back towards the other man and sank into his chair with a frustrated sigh. "They didn't tell me, I got the feeling that I was supposed to look for them."  
  
Vincent mumbled something under his breath. "Did they at least tell you why they're back?"  
  
"They're supposed to be getting a second chance." Cloud informed him almost inaudibly.  
  
"At what?"  
  
"Life.I guess." Cloud answered with a shrug.  
  
"And they want you to baby sit them?" There was no trace of anything in Vincents voice so the blond had no idea if he was joking or not.  
  
Cloud shrugged again. "I'm supposed to make sure they don't make the same mistakes they did last time.  
  
//Meteor//  
  
Vincents red eyes turned from Cloud's face to Ultima Weapon which Cloud had leant against the wall next to him. "I wonder if it's because of Chaos that I can hear it.it's too bad I can't understand it."  
  
"Meteor." Cloud repeated.  
  
They sat in silence for the rest of the night, recounting fond memories and trying to bury painful ones.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
They were awake early the next morning and as usual Cloud did the workout he did every morning but this time Vincent was their moving along side him and if anyone were to look upon them they would think that the two men had been working through those motions for years on end. They moved in perfect synchronization their breathing calm and equal and their minds both equally blank.  
  
Nothing existed except for them and the movements they made.  
  
After nigh two hours of mindless actions they had made their way back into the small cottage and had begun packing the things they would need for a journey before heading to the chocobo pen where Cloud kept his chocobos and he had put Vincents.  
  
"Where to first?" Cloud asked as he put on his chocobos reins.  
  
Vincent turned his eyes to the clear sky and frowned thoughtfully. "Mideel, it's closest and we should let Tifa know what's happening."  
  
Cloud nodded and mounted his chocobo. "Let's go see Tifa then"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Silver strands were pushed away from bright green eyes.  
  
The pale man turned his attention away from the book he was reading and gazed over towards the group of noisily playing children only ten feet from where he sat under an old giant tree. They looked for all the world as if there was nothing more fun than kicking around the bright yellow ball they were playing with.  
  
It took him only a moment to realize that someone was moving towards him and he turned his gaze around until he spotted Mrs. Wrinehart making her way over to him.  
  
She was a middle aged and robust woman who had three children all with white-blond hair and brown eyes to match her own. She had been widowed years before so it had been up to her to make a living to support her children and care for their needs as a mother.  
  
She had been kind enough to give him a roof over his head and clean clothes as well as food to eat in exchange that he watch over her children while she worked.  
  
She had also given him a name when he couldn't remember his own.  
  
"Micah!" She smiled as she approached where he sat.  
  
He stood to greet her and inclined his head politely. "Welcome home, Mrs. Wrinehart."  
  
She pulled a face when she heard her name. "I thought I told you not to call me that, ah well. Supper's almost done, do me a favor and herd up the kids and get them to wash up will you?"  
  
"Of course." He watched her smile her thanks then turn and make her way back towards the houses before turning to the group of children. "Sam! Thom! Millie!" He called then waited for them to turn toward him before making a 'come here' gesture.  
  
There were a few mumbled protests but all three bade their friends farewell and hurried over to where he stood.  
  
"Supper is almost done, your mother wants you to come in and wash up." He said quietly before picking up the book he had been reading and turned toward the houses.  
  
Some hours later the children were in bed and he was sitting with Mrs. Wrinehart in front of her fireplace, once again reading his book.  
  
"Thank you for watching the kids again today." She said quietly.  
  
He looked up from the page and turned his bright green gaze to her. "It's no problem." He muttered.  
  
She nodded then stared into the flames as they danced around.  
  
"Is something wrong?" He inquired softly, automatically searching out her eyes as if he would find the answer there.  
  
She quickly turned her head to avoid eye contact and laughed. It sounded strained to him, tense.  
  
"I was just thinking."  
  
They sat there for several more minutes in silence and he watched her intently. Finally she threw her hands into the air.  
  
"Alright, if I tell you will you stop staring at me like that?" She demanded with a huff.  
  
He inclined his head.  
  
She turned to him suddenly and he could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't sure she like what she was about to say.  
  
"I think you should leave soon." She said then held up one hand to silence him. "Hear me out, I think you should leave and see the world and maybe then you'll remember who you are and.where you came from. What if you have family out there worrying about you?"  
  
He stared at her for a moment then sighed and closed his book. "I doubt it.but I think you might be right."  
  
"You do?"  
  
He nodded, not bothering to brush the silver strands back as they fell in front of his eyes. "I've been thinking and I want to know who I am."  
  
She watched him for a moment then smiled. "Well when you're ready I'll do what I can to help." She said before standing and making her way out of the room leaving the beautiful silver haired man alone with his thoughts.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	2. Generation

~*~*~*~ Chapter 2 ~*~*~*~  
  
Arms flew around his neck, embracing him tightly  
  
Cloud returned the hug for a moment then pushed the brunette in his arms back to arms length and studied her.  
  
Tifa had aged unlike Vincent or himself who looked the same as when they were chasing Sephiroth across the world, with the exception of minor changes such as hair length, which was of course thanks to Hojo for the experiments he had done to them both. Her hair had streaks of gray here and there and there were dark smudges under her eyes but she still held herself tall and proud, something that almost made him smile outright, no matter how much time would pass she would always be a proud fighter, even when she had no enemies left to fight.  
  
"It's good to see you Tifa, you look well." He said softly.  
  
She scoffed at that. "For an old woman, what about you Cloud, you haven't changed a bit."  
  
"I guess not.can we go inside, there's something I need to tell you."  
  
Tifa studied him for a moment then took a step back and nodded. "Of course, follow me."  
  
She led them into the house then straight down the hallway into a large cozy room at the other end. "Make yourselves comfortable."  
  
Cloud seated himself on the large couch and Vincent moved to rest against the arm of the chair. "Thanks.The Cetra spoke to me."  
  
For a moment she simply stared into space before her eyes focused once again on Cloud. "What did they say?" Tifa asked, almost inaudibly.  
  
Vincent fixed his gaze on the small place between Clouds shoulder blades. "Zack and Sephiroth have been brought back to life."  
  
"W-what? Why?"  
  
The blond ex-SOLDIER sighed. "A second chance at life I guess."  
  
"So Sephiroth can have another chance at destroying the world?!"  
  
Vincent stood then and turned his crimson gaze to her. "The circumstances are different, it might not come to that this time."  
  
Tifa glared at him. "You don't know that."  
  
"True, but I do not believe the Cetra would go to all the trouble of bringing them both back to life just so Sephiroth could do what he couldn't do before." Vincent replied calmly.  
  
"Ahhhh, how can you be so calm about it? Do you even know where he is?!" She screamed, not bothering to contain her anger.  
  
"We are currently unaware as to their whereabouts."  
  
Cloud cut her off before she could reply. "We came here to tell you Tifa, so you could be prepared if something did go wrong. I'm getting sick of mourning the deaths of my friends." He said simply then rose.  
  
"Cloud.wait."  
  
He stopped then turned and waited.  
  
Tifa stood and closed her eyes in thought. "You're going after them.aren't you?"  
  
"I have to." He said quietly.  
  
Vincent looked from one to the other before turning to Cloud. "I'm going to go into town, there are some things I need to pick up."  
  
Cloud nodded then watched him leave before turning back to Tifa, he opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off.  
  
"Let me go with you." She said suddenly.  
  
"No, I can't."  
  
She frowned. "Why not?"  
  
Glowing blue eyes bore into her brown ones. "You already know why Tifa, you've been thinking about it since you saw me ten minutes ago."  
  
For a moment the brunette looked as if she would argue then suddenly he proud frame slumped slightly and a defeated look crossed her face. "Sometimes I wish you didn't know me so well." She muttered.  
  
Cloud allowed himself a small smile and he stretched forth a hand and gently brushed a strand of gray streaked hair behind her ear. "We both know that's a lie." He said gently then took a step back, his face returning to its stony expression.  
  
She stared up at him for a moment then suddenly she blinked. "Tide."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Tide, my eldest son. Take him with you, I taught him everything I know so he won't slow you down." She said quickly. "I even taught him how to cook."  
  
Cloud shook his head. "Tifa."  
  
"No, either you take him or I'm going with you." Tifa said, back straight and eyes defiant.  
  
They stood there staring each other in the eye before Cloud suddenly gave in. "Alright, I'll take him with us. At least we won't die of food poisoning." He said with a sigh.  
  
She smiled at him then went to the door and leaned out. "Tide!"  
  
A few minutes later they were joined by a handsome young man who looked no older than eighteen, he had long dark brown hair like his mother but startling ice blue eyes that even without mako exposure held a glow of their own. He was a few inches shorter than Cloud and the ex-SOLDIER could see that by the way he confidently held his body that he was fierce and strong. There was something else as well, deep within his pale eyes, a kind of gentleness, a deep respect for all living things.  
  
Tifa smiled at her son. "Tide, this is Cloud Strife, remember I told you about him?"  
  
Tide raised an eyebrow and looked him over. "Almost every day.so you're the infamous Cloud Strife, savior of the planet."  
  
"I'm not sure I'd go that far but my name is Cloud Strife." The blond replied wryly.  
  
"Cloud's going to be going on another trip, Tide. I want you to go with him." Tifa said softly.  
  
The youths eyes turned from Cloud to Tifa then back again. "But what about the bar?"  
  
"Your brother and I can handle it on our own. I want you to look after Cloud and learn from him, plus if you go then I know that he won't get sick from eating bad food"  
  
Tide looked as if he was about to say something then sighed. "When do we leave?" He asked sullenly.  
  
Cloud took a deep breath then exhaled. "As soon as you're done packing."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The Thunderbird fell twitching to the rocky ground while its ebony haired executioner stood over it a look f disdain plain on his face. He raised on hand to wipe his mouth then lowered it when he smelt a distinct coppery scent.  
  
He looked down at his hands to find them both dripping dark crimson blood that had belonged to the monster he had felled. He stared down at his hands recollecting how he had torn the monster to pieces with just his bare hands moments ago. The hairs on the back of his neck started to rise and he knew he was being watched.  
  
His head shot up and he turned eyes darting about trying to locate his observer. The tingling at the back of his neck grew stronger then from behind him he heard a noise, he turned just in time to see a man walking out of the trees behind him and cast a sleep spell.  
  
Everything went black.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
They met up with Vincent in front of a small inn on the edge of the town, it had only taken Tide ten minutes to pack even with Tifa going behind him and stuffing more, unnecessary things into his two travel bags.  
  
Vincent nodded to Cloud upon catching sight of him then gave Tide an appraising look. "He's coming with us?"  
  
"It was either him or Tifa." Cloud said softly.  
  
"I see." Was all the other said.  
  
Tide looked from one man to the other. "It's just us?"  
  
Cloud nodded. "We still have a ways to go but for now it's just us." He said then looked around. "We're going to need to get another gold chocobo before we can go anywhere."  
  
"There's an old man on the other side of town who owns one, he might be willing to sell it.but it wouldn't be cheap." The dark haired youth informed them quietly.  
  
Vincent grunted. "Money isn't an problem, where is he?" He asked.  
  
Tide pointed back the way Vincent and Cloud had entered the town. "His house is right on the outskirts, there's a big open field next to it so you can miss it."  
  
The older man nodded then turned to Cloud. "I'll go and get it, you should figure out where we're headed next."  
  
"Right, we'll be inside." The blond replied pointing to the inn. "Come on Tide."  
  
"Hn."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Get him inside before the spell wears off."  
  
Rough hands grabbed the shoulders of the semi conscious man and dragged him into the waiting prison cell then slammed the door shut and locked it.  
  
"Who do you think he is?"  
  
"Don't know."  
  
"Where do you think he's from?"  
  
"Don't know."  
  
"Why."  
  
"Shut up and get out of here or I'll lock you in here with him!"  
  
There was a sound of feet scurrying away and the dark haired man in the cell groaned before opening his eyes slowly.  
  
"So you're awake?"  
  
He looked up at the moldy ceiling then around to find himself locked up, he glared at the man on the other side of the bars and idly noticed that something about this situation seemed familiar, being caged like this.  
  
"Cat got your tongue? Doesn't matter either way, no one's coming for you." The guard taunted, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
He growled but said nothing and turned his back to the other man and stared at the blank brick wall. Behind him he heard the guard grunt then leave. He sighed and pushed back strands of jet black hair then looked up at the small barred window that let in gentle rays of moonlight before crawling on his hands and knees to the spot where the moons rays hit the cold hard ground and sat there, basking in the light.  
  
Even here in this dark, dank place he felt something calling him.  
  
If only he could figure out what.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
He sat alone by the open window staring out at the night, the lights were off so there was no light other than that of the pale new moon that lay high in the sky. More and more of late he'd been considering leaving but every time the thought came up something inside him told him to wait, that something important was going to happen and that he needed to be here when it happened.  
  
He turned his gaze back inside the small room he temporarily inhabited, it wasn't much, a bed, a mirror, a tiny closet and a bed-side table. Staying in this room he got the feeling that somewhere in his past he was accustomed to much more, it was one of the things that continued to nag at him as he moved about his business each day.  
  
His eyes turned back to regard the pale moon just as it was being covered by a large white cloud.  
  
/Am I alone in this world then? If so why and if not.what then?/  
  
He sighed then, a deep mournful sigh. /At least, someone, tell me my name.Micah, the name I was given, it fits me like a mismatched shoe, I can feel it, yet.I have no idea how I would discover my own identity/  
  
The man stood then and removed his clothes, folding them neatly then placing them at the end of his small bed. He did then what he had done every night he went to sleep since he had been taken in. He stood naked in front of the mirror and gazed at his reflection. He ran one hand through his silky silver hair and frowned slightly.  
  
/Strange, most people with silver hair would be well into their years yet I look no older than twenty five and my eyes, such a rich green. There isn't anyone else in the town with green eyes, but what about this odd glow?/  
  
He stared into his own eyes through the mirror then sighed wearily and turned towards his bed, slipping between the sheets he shivered, there was one thing about himself he was sure of, he hated getting into a cold bed. Lying on his back he stared up at the ceiling for a moment then closed his eyes, letting his mind wonder over all the possibilities that could explain his life thus far.  
  
/Soon.soon I will find out my name/  
  
Soon after that thought sleep took him.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Tide squinted at the horizon and sighed at the lack of villages in sight.  
  
"It will be some time more before we reach Kalm." Vincent said calmly from behind him.  
  
"I know." The boy replied dejectedly and turned to face the older man. "I was just hoping we could stay at an inn instead of sleeping on the ground like this."  
  
Vincent grunted then turned back to the fire. "You will have to get used to it, the wilderness is a stern mistress and she does not suffer those who cannot fend for themselves."  
  
The youth stood there for a moment then slumped over to sit by the campfire. "Is he always like this?" He asked Cloud.  
  
"Not really, he just has a lot on his mind." The blond replied without looking up from his journal.  
  
"Hn."  
  
Minutes passed then finally Cloud closed the book he was writing in and gazed across the fire at Tide. "What's wrong Tide?"  
  
"What makes you think something is wrong?"  
  
Cloud said nothing but stared over the fire into the other boys eyes, he'd learnt from doing that in the past that it made people uncomfortable because of the eerie glow that the mako in his system had created.  
  
The younger man stared back for close to a minute before averting his gaze. "Where are we going anyway?"  
  
"To Kalm."  
  
"Not that." The other said with a huff of frustration. "I mean, why are we going anywhere anyway."  
  
The blond sat there a moment trying to figure out the best way to answer his question. "How much has Tifa told you about out journey? The one at North Crater."  
  
"Not much, why?"  
  
"Did she tell you anything about a man called Sephiroth?"  
  
Tide blinked. "She said he was a really evil guy who wanted to destroy the world and that you killed him."  
  
Cloud sighed. "I thought she might say something like that." He paused thoughtfully and looked over to Vincent who was moving over to his tent. "Where are you going?"  
  
"Bed, don't keep the boy up too late telling stories, we need to be moving early tomorrow morning." And with that he disappeared inside his tent.  
  
The blond man sighed inwardly but turned back to Tide. "I guess I should start at the start."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"There it is." Cloud said to Tide, pointing to a dark spot on the horizon.  
  
Tide raised one hand to shield his eyes from the sun then squinted. "How can you tell?" He asked.  
  
"The mako treatments I received enhanced all of my senses.I thought I told you that last night." The blond said pointedly.  
  
The boy looked slightly shame faced. "I guess I forgot."  
  
Cloud shook his head. "It's fine, I don't expect you to remember everything I tell you." He said with a wry grin then looked over his shoulder to where Vincent rode just slightly behind them. "How long do you think it'll take us to get there?"  
  
"An hour.maybe two." The older man replied his gaze on the small dot on the horizon. "We'll get there a little after sunset."  
  
"Who are we going to see in Kalm?" Tide asked shifting uncomfortably on his chocobo.  
  
"Cid and Reeve." Vincent answered softly then sank back into silence.  
  
Tide thought about that for a moment then looked at Cloud. "Isn't Reeve the name of the guy who worked for ShinRa?"  
  
Cloud nodded. "That's him, he was head of Urban Development. From what Vincent's told me Reeve's been working on building a better ShinRa."  
  
"What about Cid?"  
  
"He's working on getting a space exploration program running." The blond replied absently.  
  
The youth looked at him. "Is something wrong?"  
  
The older man shook his head slightly. "Not really, I was just trying to figure out how we're going to find Zack and Sephiroth."  
  
"Look."  
  
Cloud raised an eyebrow as he regarded the teen. "That's a very bad habit, you know?"  
  
"My dad always used to do it to my mum, it used to drive her nuts."  
  
Noting the distinct depressed tone in the boys voice Cloud changed the subject. "Tifa said she taught you everything she knew."  
  
Tide looked up and nodded slightly, not sure where the conversation was headed. "I guess."  
  
"Then she taught you how to fight?"  
  
The red head nodded. "She gave me her Premium Heart before we left, so I could 'look after' you better." He added with a wry smirk.  
  
"Sounds like Tifa, what else did she give you?"  
  
"Some potions and ethers and her materia." Tide replied as he rummaged around in one of his bags. "She gave me her summon materia too."  
  
"Ifrit and Titan?" When the boy nodded Cloud shook his head. "Equip it all now, I don't want you wandering around unarmed."  
  
"Right."  
  
"You have to try and remember Tide, even though the planet's calmed down a lot there are still monsters crawling all over the place." Cloud warned him seriously.  
  
The teen nodded and started to put on the reinforced combat gloves then he began putting various materia into the slots. The blond watched him noting each materia. /Fire, ice, lightning, restore, heal, revive, transform, Ultima, Ifrit, Titan.not a bad collection Tifa/  
  
He watched as each materia slid into place. "I didn't think she'd give you those, we're going to have to stop by a materia shop in Kalm and pick up some low level materia."  
  
"What's wrong with what I've got?"  
  
"The reason you start with a level one materia is so your mind can adapt to it and become stronger as you familiarize it, that's why with each time you cast a spell it gets stronger, because you do." Cloud explained patiently. "The other reason is that if you're unfamiliar with a spell and you suddenly start trying to cast it at it's max level there's a good chance you'll either blow your body apart in a backlash or your mind will crumble under the stress and you'll go insane."  
  
Tide blinked and stared at him, mouth slightly agape. "You're not kidding are you?" He asked in a whisper.  
  
"No, there were records of it happening in one of the old ShinRa labs, but after all this time I don't think you'd be able to find much, if the lab is intact at all." The blond said watching the rode in front of them.  
  
Without hesitation Tide began plucking the materia back out with the exception of a level one ice materia that sat alone in the very middle slot.  
  
Cloud saw it out of the corner of his eye and frowned thoughtfully. "I didn't think Tifa had any low level materia."  
  
"My dad brought it for me before he died."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Hn."  
  
The continued to ride in silence with only a few minor observations from Vincent about possible ambushes or monster sightings, none of which were of any concern since they were too far away to be of any danger. It was something that was still an alien concept for Tide, having grown up in a happy and secure environment away from harm. The closest he had come to danger was the near constant sparring matches his mother had insisted upon and possibly the town bullies but eventually they learnt that smaller didn't mean weaker. Tide had made sure they understood that after being on the receiving end of their taunts for more times than he could successfully ignore.  
  
His mother had told him and his brother stories every night about how she and Cloud Strife had roamed the world searching for Sephiroth and peace. He also remembered her staring off into the distance after those stories just thinking and he recalled how she often looked sad for some reason. It wasn't until he became a teenager that he really started to figure out why though, Mideel was generally a average sized, quiet town and even if you were the anti-social type you got to know everyone in your age group fairly well, regardless of whether you wanted to or not. His early teenage years were particularly interesting because like everyone else he started to see things a little differently.  
  
And so did the girls.  
  
Thinking back he recalled being the center of many fights that stemmed from jealousy because the girls most of the girls in town were smitten by his good looks and kind nature and those who weren't were drawn to his strength and calm fighting spirit. It wasn't long that he started earning a reputation for being the dangerous sort and that of course meant that the girls fathers were grounding their daughters to keep them away from him.  
  
While this went of the daughters and the mothers insisted that they were being stupid and that Tide wouldn't hurt a fly if he didn't have to.  
  
Tide shook his head wryly and sighed as his memories flowed to him.  
  
He remembered his mother telling him one morning that they needed a bigger place to spar and so where else better than the town square for their morning, afternoon and nightly workouts. It wasn't until after he saw the audience that comprised mostly of females that he suspected his mother had ulterior motives instead of the 'bigger places make better sparring' she had given him. Their workouts were always quite hot and sweaty and because it was a habit of his to remove his shirt at such points he didn't really think it would be such a big deal.  
  
/Boy was I wrong/ He thought ruefully.  
  
After the first time he did that the crowd effectively doubled in size and a few more men had joined in to watched him and his mother spar and it wasn't long before there wasn't almost nowhere he could go where he wouldn't be followed by at least one pair of eyes.  
  
".here."  
  
Tide's head snapped up and he blinked. "Huh?"  
  
"We're here." Vincent repeated softly.  
  
Sure enough they were quickly approaching the large city, he could see the bright lights from the windows and watched as a few individuals made their way around the darkened streets. Vincent moved his chocobo into the lead. "This way."  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	3. Breaking Point

~*~*~*~ Chapter 3 ~*~*~*~  
  
"I already told you, there's no-one here by that name!"  
  
"I know she's here, where are you hiding her!?" The tall beefy man pushed his way passed Mrs. Wrinehart roughly causing her to trip and fall over backwards and marched through the doorway that led from the small pub to the Wrinehart household. "Where is she?!"  
  
Thom stood off to one side with his brother and sister watching with wide terrified eyes as the huge man knocked his mother over then without knowing why he charged at him and slammed into the back of his right knee. The man gasped in shock as he dropped to the ground but quickly got up, his eyes found the boy standing a few feet away staring up at him.  
  
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!" He screamed then charged for the frightened boy and effortlessly picked him up from the floor and began to shake him like a rag doll.  
  
"Thom!!" Mrs. Wrinehart shrieked then turned her eye to where Sam and Millie stood by the front entrance. "Sam! Run and get Micah, quickly!!"  
  
Without hesitation the small boy darted out the door and into the street, his black hair trailing along behind him as he ran. He wondered where he would find Micah then remembered that Mr Darenstein from the inn had asked if Micah could help him carry up the new beds he had ordered. He altered his coursed and bolted towards the inn screaming the silver haired mans name as soon as the building came into sight.  
  
"Micah! Micah! Micah!"  
  
Sure enough the door flew open as he drew closer and the tall green eyed man stepped out, eyebrows raised and face a mask of concern. "Sam? What's wrong, why are you out here on your own?"  
  
The boy skidded to a halt breathing harshly. "Momma's in trouble...scary man...very angry...hurt Thom and momma..."  
  
Two delicate eyebrows drew close together as eyes narrowed dangerously. "Where are they?"  
  
"At home..."  
  
Without waiting to hear anything else Micah nodded. "Stay here with Mr. Darenstein and behave." Then he rushed down the street at full speed, darting around people and objects with a kind of agility that he would not have thought himself capable of. A minute later he was burst through the door to the 'Cheerful Mog' and skidded to a halt.  
  
The first thing he noticed was the giant ape of a man looming off to one side then his eyes caught sight of a bright patch of blue mot far from where he stood. He carefully edged his way over to it then realized that the blue he saw was Thoms T-shirt. He looked down at the boy and saw that he had a split lip and a swollen cheek, he growled softly then coming to the conclusion that the boy was no longer in any danger he made his way further into the pub. He saw Mrs. Wrinehart leaning against the wall next to the bar clutching her left arm and he could hear her shallow breathing.  
  
As he drew closer he could see that Millie had squeezed in behind her mother to hide and he could hear her whimpering and occasionally sniffle. He took another step closer and he heard the distinct sound of a floor board creaking where he had just stepped.  
  
The tall figure in the corner turned sharply and squinted at him. "You're not her...tell me where she is!" He raged.  
  
Micah's eyes narrowed to slits as he quickly sized up the other man. "I don't know what you're talking about, leave now!"  
  
The huge figure mumbled something incoherent then without warning he charged at the smaller man, his shoulder ramming into Micah's chest knocking the wind out of him. While Micah gasped the other man balled one hand into a fist and pulled it back ready to strike then launched it at the silver haired man.  
  
Time slowed, green eyes opened wide and instinct took control. One pale hand shot forward and grabbed hold of the mans wrist as it moved, seemingly sluggishly through the air and then with lightning speed he stepped around him and brought his arm up behind his back and held it tightly.  
  
When time returned to normal the arm he was holding jerked suddenly then there was a sudden popping sound before the giant man started screaming in pain and fell to the floor.  
  
Micah let go of the wrist he still held in silent shock and watched as it flopped uselessly to the mans side. Somehow he'd just dislocated his shoulder without actually doing it. The previous two minutes flashed through his mind over and over again as he tried to puzzle out what he had done and how he had managed to do it.  
  
Then he remembered Thom, Millie and their mother.  
  
He rushed over to where Thom still lay then picked him up carefully and carried him over to where his mother and sister were. He laid him down on the floor to the left of his mother then carefully moved Mrs. Wrinehart away from the wall and laid her down so she was facing the ceiling.  
  
He paused for a moment then smiled gently at the sniffling girl he had uncovered and slowly extended a hand toward her. "It's alright Millie, everything is alright now." He cooed softly.  
  
Slowly a pair of huge, moist brown eyes turned and focused on him. "Micah...?"  
  
"It's me, everything is alright, he won't hurt you anymore." He repeated softly his eyes gently and his voice deep and soothing as if he were trying to calm a wild animal.  
  
She sniffled again and rubbed at her eyes with the back of one tiny hand. "He hurt momma...and Thom...I was scarred."  
  
He nodded slowly. "I know, but he won't hurt them anymore. I need your help Millie, can you be a good girl and go to the inn and tell Mr. Darenstein that he needs to look after you and to send a healer here."  
  
"A healer?" She replied, finally taking hold of his outstretched hand.  
  
He nodded again and drew her up from the floor gently. "We need a healer to make your mother and Thom better."  
  
"Then they won't be hurt?"  
  
"That's right, do you think you can do that for me?" He asked softly still holding onto her hand.  
  
Millie nodded slowly. "I'll go tell uncle Bill."  
  
"Good girl, now go quickly, because the sooner you tell him the sooner you're mother and Thom will feel better."  
  
"Okay." She said then withdrew her tiny hand from his elegant, warm one and quickly made her way to and out the door leaving him alone with Thom and his mother and the man who had passed out from the pain. Without hesitation he moved next to Thom and started to check him over for any serious injuries that he might of missed when he had first arrived.  
  
He dully noticed a deep aching in his chest as he moved but shrugged it off and seeing nothing seriously wrong with Thom he moved over to the boys mother, already concerned about her shallow breathing. After a few tense moments he found nothing visibly wrong with her but noticed that her breathing failed to even out.  
  
He then looked over to large unconscious form lay in a tangled heap next to the far wall and decided that there wasn't anything he could do or even wanted to do for him and settled down next to Mrs. Wrinehart and listened to her breathing, and waited.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
~ Zack...I...I want to be stronger...~  
  
~ You already are Cloud you've changed a lot since I first met you ~  
  
~ No I haven't ~  
  
~ Sure you have, when I first met you you could barely hold any weapon now you're keeping up with the rest of the cadets and you've got it in you to go further ~  
  
~ What do you mean? ~  
  
~ Heh, don't worry about it...I don't have a date tonight, why don't we go out? ~  
  
~ You...don't have a date...are you lying to me? ~  
  
~ Hey! I'm hurt, would I do that to you? ~  
  
// Yes// Cloud thought sadly.  
  
//You think of him again//  
  
//You're reading my mind now?//  
  
//I do not need to, he is in your past, you would do best to forget him//  
  
//He was my past, now he's my present and future//  
  
//And what of the other, you will forget him//  
  
//Never...besides I couldn't if I tried//  
  
//Such thoughts are not fitting of one of your strength, my brother would never tolerate such a thing//  
  
//Brother? You have a brother?// The blond asked with a mixture of surprise and confusion.  
  
//Yes, I have one brother and two sisters.//  
  
//What are they called?//  
  
//My sisters are known as Linea and Remara//  
  
//What about your brother?//  
  
//You already know the answer to that question//  
  
//I don't...//  
  
//Think, you know it's master the one with hair of silver//  
  
//Sephiroth....so your brother would be Masamune//  
  
//That is correct...you should awake, your companion grows concerned//  
  
Blue eyes flew open then blinked, Tide stood above him eyebrows furrowed and eyes worried but the look turned to one of relief when he saw that Cloud was awake. "Thank god, I thought you were going to sleep all day."  
  
"I was talking to the Ultima weapon, what time is it?" The blond asked and stood then rubbed at the corner of his eyes to chase away the remnants of sleep.  
  
"Almost noon, we should go see Cid and Reeve." Vincent said quietly from his place on the other side of the room.  
  
They had spent the night at an inn because the inner city where the new ShinRa building was, was locked down at sunset to increase security. Vincent had also told Cloud that security around the thirty story building was as tight if not tighter than it had been back in Midgar. Cloud found it a little unsettling, returning to the corporation that had turned him into what he was regardless of whether the people that worked there now were different or not. The name ShinRa would always remind him of what had been done to him, to the planet and what was almost done.  
  
"I'm going to have a shower first, we'll leave when I'm finished." Cloud said and began to rummage through his travel bags for a change of clothes when a flash of purple caught his eye, Vincent had moved up behind him and was holding out the old ShinRa SOLDIERs uniform he had gotten from Zack.  
  
"I thought you might want to wear this, it will be easier to get through security if you do." The older man said then lowered his voice to a whisper. "The SOLDIER program is still running, they've been spending a lot of time and money trying to find the old SOLDIERs after what happened at north crater and you know more than enough about ShinRa from Zack than we'll need to get in."  
  
Cloud gently took the uniform from Vincent and frowned. "How did you get in the last time you were here?"  
  
The only response he got from Vincent was a blank stare.  
  
"Forget I asked." The blond said with a sigh of resignation and headed into the ensuite bathroom.  
  
He dropped the purple outfit onto the bench and turned on the hot water then the cold and held his hand under the steady stream of water until he was sure it was the right temperature then took a step back and started to peel of his clothes and dropped them piece by piece to the floor. He then took hold of the tie that held his hair back and undid it, sighing through his nose as the long strands of golden hair slid across his bare skin, tickling it as it went.  
  
Cloud smiled and sat the tie on top of the uniform before stepping into the shower and positioning himself under the pounding water.  
  
//You should be aware//  
  
Cloud blinked in surprise as the soft voice of the Ultima weapon sounded in his mind. //What?//  
  
//I can sense Remara in this city//  
  
//Here? Where?//  
  
//I know not//  
  
/Great, this is just what I need, something else to worry about/  
  
He sighed through his nose and wiped the water away from his face then reached for the soap.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Cloud! Long time no fuckin' see boy!"  
  
The blond ex-soldier grimaced slightly as Cid pulled him into a rough embrace then shoved him back to arms distance and looked him over. They had made it up to the thirtieth floor and into the office but not until after a 'minor' disturbance as Vincent phrased it. The guards at the entrance had agreed to let Cloud pass because he was wearing Zacks old SOLDIER uniform but had almost opened fire on Tide and Vincent when they had moved to follow the blond into the building. Tide, unused to such situations acted first.  
  
It was easy to see just how much he took after his mother, it took the guards ten seconds to grab their machine guns and to target the two, it took Tide five seconds to take down two of the four guards before Vincent finally grabbed hold of him and told him to hold still. The remaining two guards wasted no time in letting them into the building and even escorting them all the way up to Cid and Reeve's office.  
  
"You've hardly changed a bit, still a snot nosed brat." The taller man declared with a grin, his ever present cigarette wobbling precariously between his lips.  
  
In the past twenty years very little had changed about Cid but that didn't really surprise Cloud, he had always known that Cid would keep his fiery know-it-all attitude until the very end. Physically he hadn't changed much either, he still looked the same but his hair had gone white and he had wrinkles around his eyes and at the corners of his mouth a sign that said he'd spent most of his time smiling and laughing since Cloud had seen him last. It was easy to see how happy being in charge of the space exploration program was making him and in a way it cheered him up knowing that at least one of his friends had found the happiness they all so richly deserved.  
  
Tide choked then started coughing and desperately tried to hide his shock. Vincent sighed and shook his head. "Cloud is hardly a 'snot nosed brat' Cid, he never was." He chided softly then pushed away from his place against one wall.  
  
"Ah Bullshit. So what are ya doin' here kid, Vincent finally managed to drag you away from that hunk 'a shit you call an island." The pilot asked gruffly then finally noticed Tide. "And who the hell's this?"  
  
Cloud put a hand on Tide's shoulder and squeezed gently. "This is Tide, Tifa's son."  
  
"No kidding huh?" Cid grunted then moved to circle the young brunette then prodded him in the arch of his back causing him to step forward involuntarily. "Goddamn greenhorn."  
  
"We all started out that way at one time." Vincent said sagely. "Give him time, he'll learn as we go."  
  
"Hmph... I S'pose."  
  
"Leave the boy alone Cid." Reeve told him not bothering to conceal the grin that was starting to tug at the corner of his mouth. "So Cloud, what brings you to grace us with your presence?"  
  
Reeve unlike Cid showed all of his years, just by looking at him Cloud could see the effect of the daily stress of trying to get ShinRa up and working again. His hair was now steel gray at each temple and his face was deeply lined around his eyebrows from frowning and his eyes which also had dark smudges beneath them from lack of sleep.  
  
Cloud ignored the slightly mocking comment then took a deep breath. "The Cetra spoke to me, they told me that Zack and Sephiroth are alive."  
  
Silence greeted the statement and for a very long while no one moved.  
  
"You're jokin' aren't ya spike?" Cid asked finally.  
  
"No."  
  
Reeve stood and moved around to the front of his desk and leant his hip against it. "Do you know where they are?"  
  
"No."  
  
//Remara is here//  
  
Cloud tilted his head to one side. //Here? In the building?//  
  
//No, but very close//  
  
"Earth to spike, earth to spike, are you reading me?" Cid asked waving a hand in front of Cloud's face.  
  
Cloud promptly grabbed his hand. "Stop it, I'm fine. I was talking to the Ultima weapon."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The Ultima weapon has a consciousness, it's the same for Sephiroth's Masamune." The ex-soldier explained calmly.  
  
Cid looked over his shoulder at Reeve and grinned. "Maybe you should have one of those scientists take a look at ol' spike here, he's starting to hear voices."  
  
Vincent shook his head. "Cloud isn't insane Cid, he's been able to hear the voice of the Cetra for years now and I know he can talk to the Ultima weapon and vice versa because I can sense it."  
  
"I think we're getting a little far afield." Reeve interjected sternly. "How do you know that the Cetra were telling you the truth?"  
  
Cloud sighed and closed his eyes. /Why do I feel like I'm going in circles/ "I can feel Sephiroth out there and I need to find him and Zack before something happens."  
  
Reeve sat silently for a moment then looked at Cid. "Take Vincent and the boy down and help them restock their supplies."  
  
The older man grunted. "What about spike?"  
  
"I'm going to show him around a bit."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
A sudden crash of metal on metal jerked him awake. He sat up quickly and turned his gaze toward where the sound had come from and saw his guard standing next to the bars with his nightstick out and resting against one of the bars.  
  
There was a woman standing next to him frowning and she was staring at him, she had dark hair and eyes and he could see from he way she held herself that she was very proud and confident.  
  
"What's your name?" She asked suddenly.  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"Where are you from?"  
  
He shrugged again.  
  
Her frowned deepened as she regarded him then finally she turned her attention to the guard beside her. "I want answers." She said simply then turned and left.  
  
The guard grinned at him and for some reason something in that grin made him want to hide. "I know a fun way to get answers out of you." He said then his hand moved off to one side and he pressed a button on the wall.  
  
Seconds later the door opened and another guard entered. "Yes sir?"  
  
"Put him to sleep then help me get him into the interrogation room, the boss wants answers out of him."  
  
The other man snapped a salute then turned to the cell and cast sleep. The world turned to black for him and when they were sure he was asleep the superior guard unlocked the door and led the way into the cell and roughly grabbed one of his arms. He instructed the younger guard to take hold of the other and together they dragged the bulky form of the tall raven haired man out of his cell and down the long hallway to the 'interrogation' room, a large room filled with various devices and tools designed to induce a prisoner to speak.  
  
When he was safely strapped into a chair the superior of the two guards reached up and proceeded to slap him until he finally stirred and woke. "Well now, since you don't want to talk to us, we're going to use all these shiny little tools here and make you. Got anything to say before we begin?"  
  
The gray eyed man simply glared up at him in defiance.  
  
"Suit yourself."  
  
Minutes later, hundreds of birds which had been perched on the branches of trees in the surrounding area took flight, frightened be the inhuman scream that came from the prison.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I've been working along time to get ShinRa up and running again and luckily a lot of the records were undamaged when the ShinRa building in Midgar was attacked." Reeve said as they walked.  
  
They had gone down to the first floor and had headed out a door to the back of the building which had opened up into a wide, open courtyard that felt oddly familiar to Cloud.  
  
"Most of Professor Ghast and Professor Hojo's work was catalogued and archived in a basement level underneath the ShinRa building that only the professors and president Shinra were allowed access to. We salvaged the files and moved them here, it wasn't long before we found other bright scientists who were capable of taking over the roles they left behind when they died. From there we were able to reestablish the SOLDIER program and start training new recruits. Do you remember anything about the old SOLDIER?" Reeve asked then held open a door for Cloud.  
  
"I remember almost everything I experienced and I can remember some of the things Zack knew about." Cloud answered as he passed through the doorway.  
  
Reeve took the lead again. "Do you remember why there were no women in SOLDIER?"  
  
The blond frowned thoughtfully. "If I remember right it was because most females weren't strong enough to handle the physical, emotional and mental strain. Though I think there were a few that got transferred from the SOLDIER program to the TURK training facility."  
  
"There's that and the fact that they were looked on as a distraction to the younger male cadets." Reeve added with a wry grin. "Actually we managed to fix that particular problem and we come to the conclusion that given the right circumstances female SOLDIERs are just as good as the men."  
  
Cloud nodded vaguely eyeing the building they had just entered, it was thanks to Zack's memories that he recognized it as an exact replica of the old SOLDIERs barracks. It was bigger and the paint was a bit brighter but other than that it looked exactly the same. "It looks the same..."  
  
Reeve stopped walking and looked over his shoulder at Cloud. "Pardon?"  
  
"It looks the same as the old SOLDIERs barracks back in Midgar, except it's bigger." The ex-soldier muttered quietly, blue eyes searching for something that might be different.  
  
Reeve smiled and nodded. "We built it to be an exact replica of the old barracks but as you noticed we built this one bigger so we could separate the men from the women. It's lunch time now so we'll find the person I'm after in the mess hall with everyone else."  
  
They started walking again until they came to a huge room that Cloud recognized as the mess hall. There was row after row of tables and chairs just as Cloud remembered but off to the sides next to the walls were long tables filled with a huge variety of food. When Reeve noticed the direction of his stare he laughed.  
  
"We made a deal with the old SOLDIERs, if they came back to fight for us we had to give them better pay and good food."  
  
Cloud chuckled and shook his head. "I remember the ShinRa food from when I was a cadet, trust me, your SOLDIERs will fight and train that much harder to make sure you don't take away that food."  
  
They laughed then moved to the end of the tables and stood looking over the long tables the ones to the left of the room, Cloud noticed were filled with SOLDIERs only while the right side of the room seated the cadets.  
  
"First Class SOLDIER General Shiina, step forward please." Reeve shouted over the noise in the hall.  
  
Eyes turned to them and silence fell on the hall before several cat calls sounded over the silence. A figure at the far end of the hall stood and made its way down the isle between the table it was sitting at and the one next to it. As the figure drew closer Cloud picked up that the figure belonged to that of a female with long hair that reached down to her thighs that was very light in color. Finally the figure came to a stop a foot away from where he and Reeve stood and saluted.  
  
She had shocking white hair despite the fact that she looked no older than twenty five and emerald green eyes that put him in mind of another general he knew with such eyes. She had a lithe pear shaped figure and stood an inch taller than he. She was wearing a one piece white leather suit with the ShinRa Logo on the left shoulder and the SOLDIER emblem on the right breast that fit her like a second skin. Her face had a distinct Wutaian cast to it that belied the white hair and crimson eyes and Cloud had to admit she was a very attractive woman.  
  
From what Cloud could tell she had two weapons strapped across her back.  
  
//Remara, she wields Remara//  
  
//Are you sure?//  
  
//Yes//  
  
"Does the name Remara mean anything to you?" Cloud asked suddenly.  
  
The white haired woman blinked in surprise then nodded. "My blades, their name is Remara...is that Ultima weapon?" She asked looking over his shoulder.  
  
"Yes, I'm Cloud Strife." He said holding out his hand.  
  
"Shiina Hayashi, a pleasure to meet you Cloud Strife." She smiled as she shook his hand.  
  
"Shiina is the strongest fighter we have here and she holds the title of General in our army." Reeve informed the ex-soldier softly. "She's quite proficient with a variety of bladed weapons and is a master of various martial art styles."  
  
/Like Sephiroth/ Cloud thought idly.  
  
Cloud tilted his hand to one side. "You're Wutaian?"  
  
"That's right, so what can I do for you boss?" She asked turning her attention to Reeve.  
  
"Cloud and a few colleagues are going to be doing a lot of traveling and I believe it's going to get particularly dangerous before they do what they need to so I want you to go with them. I want reports every so often about what's happening." He said then turned to face Cloud. "Cid should be finished helping Vincent restock by now. I'm sorry I can't stay with you longer but I have a lot of work I still need to do, so I'll leave you in Shiina's care."  
  
And with that he was gone. The two warriors stood there for a moment sizing each other up, the cat calls had long since faded and had been replaced with the loud banter that had been going on when Cloud had first entered the room.  
  
"What now?" Shiina's voice piped up, bringing him out of his reverie.  
  
He scratched his head and looked around. "As soon as you pack what you need we'll head back to the others, I want to move out as soon as possible. The faster we get moving the sooner we can find the people we're looking for."  
  
She shrugged and pushed a stray strand of white hair behind her ear. "You're the boss."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
His ice blue eyes looked blankly at the tele-viewers rezzing up before him within the damp confines of the guard man's post. /Christ sake its freaking boiling in this piece of crap/ the soldier thought for a moment before moving his eyes from the image of the long raven haired man locked within his cell to the portable fan he had within his tiny cramped office.  
  
Adjusting the fan's power output and leveling the device so that the wonderful breeze soaked his sweat covered body the guard leaned back into his original position on his chair.  
  
Eyes turned back to the screen and began scanning over each of the cell's contents as a mug of luke warm coffee reached the soldiers mouth.  
  
Moments later a coffee mug shattered as it struck a harsh gravel floor.  
  
CAPTAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNNN......  
  
The sound of a chair falling and hurried footsteps echoed down the makeshift prisons halls...  
  
The image of a certain cell...was empty...naked as a ghost's spirit.  
  
The guard ran own the hall that led from the cell blocks to his captains office and he threw the door open. "He's gone!"  
  
He marched into his superiors office before he noticed that he was not sitting behind his desk as he always was. Moving closer to the cluttered desk something caught his eye, there was a dark pool steadily growing in size underneath the desk. He moved around the desk then recoiled in shock.  
  
Before him lay the still body of his captain, head torn from shoulders. As he knelt closer to the body he noticed that both of his arms had been shattered and that his ribs had been likewise shattered to the point where there was a deep crevice where there had one been even, smooth skin and muscles. His legs were twisted off to different angles obviously dislocated or shattered like the arms and chest had been.  
  
He heard a creek from behind him and spun around in time to see the door swing firmly closed and a shadowed figure step out from behind it.  
  
His hands flew to his side and grasped his nightstick and drew it quickly.  
  
The shadowed figure raised his head and the low light coming from the lamp on the desk behind the guard was enough for him to make him out as the escaped prisoner. Cold, hard wolf like eyes stared at him from across the room and he stumbled backwards as if to escape the intense gaze.  
  
One foot moved in front of the other moving with purposeful slowness as the raven haired man began to stalk his enemy. A feral grin spread across his face when he saw his guard and tormentor smack against the desk while he was trying to keep as much distance between them as possible. The grin faded when the guard brought up his nightstick as if it alone would keep him safe although his hands were visibly shaking.  
  
Without warning the dark haired man sprang forward and with one upward strike he knocked the nightstick out of the other mans hands. It soared high in the air and hit the wall next to the door. The guards eyes widened as the huge ice eyed man lashed out with one arm and grabbed hold of his neck, lifting him high of the ground.  
  
He wheezed as he struggled to breath one hand reached up to hit and claw at the hand in a vain attempt to get it to loosen while the other moved behind him and took hold of the standard issue tazer, then with his last shred of strength he swung his arm around and switched the tazer on as soon as it hit the other man.  
  
A roar filled the room and the hand around his throat loosened just enough to pry his fingers back and fall to the ground, hitting his head against the desk as he went. It took him a moment for his vision to clear then he bolted around the desk and triggered the silent alarm on the underside of the desk. As soon as he did that he felt a hand grab hold of the neck of his uniform and with a mighty heave he was thrown across the room and into the wall on the other side.  
  
The air rushed from his lungs and he felt the plaster behind him crack from the impact. The prisoner was upon him before he even had a chance to hit the floor. A solid kick met his ribs on the way down and sent him back into the air, he vaguely heard the sound of breaking bones and began to panic. How long would it be before his fellow guards reached the room?  
  
A hand grabbed hold of his head then with a twist of his shoulder the raven haired escapee pulled his guard down from the air and slammed him into the floor before taking hold of his arms.  
  
Sickening snaps filled the air as his enemy began to twists his arms around to various angles then he was launched into the air once again but this time the ice eyed man swung his arm back the launched his fist out, it could him squarely in the chest and with a sudden hitch of his breath he realized that shards of his ribs hand pierced his lungs and heart.  
  
He began coughing and it didn't take long for the blood that was beginning to flood his lungs to erupt from his mouth and spray across the floor.  
  
It took him a minute to realize that his attacker had ceased his brutal assault and had gone quiet.  
  
He opened his eyes and squinted against the pain, his narrowed eyes searching the room for the huge man. Coughs racked his body and more blood gushed from his mouth, his eyes squeezed shut.  
  
Suddenly he became aware of a presence behind him and turn in surprise to face the figure behind him, his mouth opening in a gasp of shock.  
  
His gasp was rudely cute off as his tazer was rammed into his mouth and switched on. The black haired man held onto his twitching body until he was sure that his enemy was dead. He dropped the tazer and turned from the corpse and reached for the door, he stopped just short of opening it when he heard heavy footsteps pounding the floor on the other side of the door.  
  
Backing away from it he searched the room for another way out but the room had no other door and no windows...no avenue of escape was possible.  
  
The guards were pounding on the door, heavy batons in tow and the doorbuster in their clenched fists as two of the four slammed upon the steel enforced door...  
  
"THE CAPTAIN'S IN TROUBLE MOVE IT YOU FUCKIN' RETARDS!"  
  
The sound made them stop, their mind set stunned by such a unique sound...the heat however set them on edge...first a trickling sweat, then their bodies heating up...the door sizzling as the metal within it snapped and bubbled.  
  
When the door exploded outwards and the molten liquid death erupted against them coating them with hellish flames and ashes, the guards died first quickly but without mercy their bodies incinerated within a small space of time, but as the flames licked outwards consuming the prison and everything there within all life ended...devoured by an inferno birthed by the dark of night, fed by the rage within a man's soul.  
  
When the flames cooled, ashes crumbled back down to the superheated floor and the air within fifty meters of the bases perimeter became breathable again...nothing could be seen...no man...no prisoners...no life at all, even the memories of it's existence were gone.  
  
A figure shuddered then stepped forward into the ash covered floor, oblivious to the small flames that continued to lick at the walls and roof. He reached up with one hand and pushed his raven hair away from his eyes the stepped forward into burning mess sidestepping the charred remains of the prison guards as he went. A flash of metal caught his eye and as he turned he noticed that one of the guards was equipped with a Crystal sword its brilliant shine making it stand out amidst the charred remains of the base.  
  
He paused just long enough to pick it up disregarding the intense heat it gave off from its blade, then continued to make his way through the halls, towards open air, into freedom. 


	4. Mysterious Men

Chapter 4: Mysterious Man

Vincent moved a stray strand of raven hair out of his field of vision and glanced around. For the better part of the morning he had sensed that someone was watching them, who and from where eluded him, which meant that whoever it was, was an extremely skilled hunter.

He moved his chocobo up next to where Cloud and Shiina were deep in discussion and casually leaned forward. "You're aware that we're being watched?" He asked quietly.

Cloud nodded, the slightest movement of his head. "Yes...I don't think he'll be a problem though, I think it's just curious."

"If you're sure." Vincent muttered, his crimson eyes still slightly narrowed.

Shiina turned slightly to regard him curiously. "You know if you're that curious why don't you go scout around?" She suggested with a slight tilt of her head.

Vincent nodded and was about to move away from the group when Cloud's voice stopped him. "If you're going, take Tide with you."

The raven-haired ex-Turk nodded again before dropping back to where Tide rode staring off into nowhere and conferred with the teen before leading the way away from the trail and into the overgrown shrubs that surrounded it.

"You sure it was a good idea for him to take the kid?" Shiina asked after the other two were out of earshot.

Cloud smiled softly and nodded. "Vincent's a fierce fighter and if Tide is anything like his mother he'll do just fine. I wanted Vincent to take him so I could find out just what he's ready for, the last thing I want is to be caught up in a fight where Tide gets hurt because he's not ready for the pressure."

She watched him for a moment longer before breaking into a grin. "Sure boss, it's nice to know I'm working with someone who actually thinks ahead."

"Thanks...I think."

Silver strands were absently pushed back just as soon as they fell from the lose tie that had been holding it out of the way.

Micah straightened then stretched languidly letting the heat from the noon sun dry the sweat that beaded his forehead. He could feel the course material of the rough baggy shirt he was wearing, which was almost translucent from sweat, sticking to his chest and back.

He had rolled up the baggy sleeves to the elbow but that had done very little to reduce the heat.

A small sparrow fluttered by and he watched as it flew up into the high up branches of a nearby tree and settled there, then without further ado it began to sing.

A gentle smile settled on his lips as he listened to the tiny birds song, something about the sweetness of the sound touched him. It was something that was beyond description yet those who heard it felt compelled to for some unknown reason. This sound, this gentle sparrows song reached out and touched his soul waking it but filling him with peace at the same time

He moved slowly to lie beneath the tall tree and let his eyes slide closed as he listened to the song.

He reached up wiped the water from his face then sighed.

He had found a small river not far from the prison he had been held in and had decided to take the time to wash the blood sweat and dirt off while he had the chance. The water was cold but somehow he preferred it to being covered in blood.

Especially when he knew it belonged to someone else.

The first night of freedom was strangely tense, he had killed the guards and so he knew he would have no pursuers but knowing that didn't stop the nightmares from coming.

He could remember other dreams, dreams he had had since he had woken up in the ocean some time ago.

Dreams filled with golden blond hair and blue eyes which would turn to dreams of silver hair and green eyes then the dreams would turn again and settle on light brown hair and emerald eyes.

He remembered the sad expression in those blue eyes and he remembered the utter lack of emotion in the green pair but above all he remembered the adoring and compassionate look the emerald eyes seemed to possess.

It felt strange, remembering little bits and pieces of a life that remained just out of reach.

With a sigh he moved back onto dry land and began brushing the remaining droplets of water from his muscular frame. That was another thing that puzzled him, he was obviously very fit and the ease in which he killed his enemies felt horrifyingly satisfying, like that was what he had been made to do.

/A monster, built for the kill...that's not me...is it/

The thought stayed with him long after he had dressed and moved on.

"BOLT!"

The shout rang out just as Tides' fist made contact with the beast's belly effectively marking the monster as the spells target. Lightning flashed from high in the sky and plummeted down, striking the monster and killing it instantly.

Off to one side Vincent returned his Peacemaker to it's holster with a nod of satisfaction as Tide jogged his way back to where he waited with their chocobos. "You looked like you've done that before."

Tide shrugged and took hold of his chocobos reins. "My mother was responsible for keeping the monsters out of Mideel, she took my brother and me with her ever chance she could."

"That sounds like Tifa. Where did you get the Ice materia?" The older man asked quietly as he watched Tide mount, his crimson gaze flickering to the second level one materia that had not been there previously.

"Cid gave it to me before we left, he said that I'd better not make my mom ashamed of me." The teen replied wryly.

"Sounds like him, come on, we need to catch up to Cloud and Shiina." Vincent remarked quietly then without waiting to see if Tide followed, he steered his chocobo up their path and pushed it into a slow run.

They rejoined the other two further up the path only to find that Cloud and Shiina had dismounted and tied their chocobos to a tree and were squatting down in the middle of the path staring at something. They looked up as the Vincent and Tide approached and motioned for them to join them.

Vincent was there first squatting down next to Shiina. "Trouble?" He asked softly.

Cloud pointed out something in the dirt. "Tracks, they belong to a Tonberry, but it looks like there are at least twelve of them."

"Tonberry's are solitary monsters they almost never travel in groups, it's really rare to see more than two or three in a group at one time." Shiina said, taking over from where Cloud left off. "On top of that they usually stick to specific a specific area and that being North Crater."

"Then what are they doing here?" Tide asked with a frown.

Cloud shrugged then stood. "I don't know but I don't think I want to find out, one Tonberry on its own is fairly bad but twelve? It's asking for trouble. Anyway I want to get going, the sooner we get to Midgar the better."

Vincent stood and moved to walk beside the blond as he made his way back to where he left his chocobo tied. "Why Midgar?" He inquired softly.

"Before we left Reeve told me that the guards have been having problems with the monsters inside for a while and apparently there's someone in there with them."

"How?"

Cloud shrugged. "No one knows, he just suddenly showed up one day."

"And now we have to rescue him?" Tide asked wryly. "I don't get why anyone would want to go in there anyway. With all the monsters that started to mutate and breed from the after effects of Meteor and Holy, not to mention the damaged done by Diamond Weapon."

Vincent and Cloud turned to stare at the teen. "How do you know about all that?"

The brunette shrugged. "I overheard you talking to my mother once when I was a kid. You also said that the city became ruins after it was abandoned."

Cloud grinned at the younger man and mounted his chocobo. "You have a habit of remembering important facts, that's a useful trait to have, especially if you travel around a lot like us."

"Uhh, thanks."

"Shiina..." Cloud started turning to face the already mounted SOLDIER general.

"And here I thought you had forgotten about me." She announced haughtily.

Cloud stared at her for a long minute before sighing and tugging on his reins. "Let's go."

There's no point to you staying here any longer

We're better off without you

You don't belong here

You were created to be a monster

Green the color of the beast...you have green eyes

Why don't you leave

Are you going to kill us too

You're just a tool

A weapon some rich fat man created to do his dirty work for him

You're not like us

I would give you my blessings but God frowns upon those who help demons

That's what you are

Demon

Monster

Abomination

Tool

Weapon

Beast

Evil

Unwanted

He woke with a start, his heart racing. He sat there for what felt like an eternity trying to get his breathing under control then shivered as a bead of sweat rolled down his back from between his shoulder blades. Slowly he pushed back his blankets and swung his legs over the side of his small bed then in one smooth motion he stood and moved to the window, opening it as far as it could go.

For nearly ten minutes he simply stood there breathing softly and letting the pre-dawn air-dry his sweat streaked skin. He ran one hand through his hair, pushing damp strands away from his face with a sigh. It wasn't the first time he'd woken up from that nightmare and he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last.

With a sigh he moved away from the window and suddenly his heal hit something causing him to lose his balance, quick reflexes stopped him from hitting the floor and waking the rest of the house. With a short sigh of relief he looked down to see what he had tripped over. It was a suitcase Mrs. Wrinehart had given him over a week ago after it was decided that he should leave and see the rest of the world. He stood there staring at it for a long time before he deftly picked it up and carried it over to his bed, he opened it with a flick of his wrist but stopped when he saw a piece of paper sitting in the bottom of it.

He slowly reached for it and gently lifted it out of the bag then turned it over, he recognized it with a strange wretch of pain, it was a picture Thom, Millie and Sam had drawn one day of them and him playing. He absently noticed how they went to great trouble to pick out the exact colors for everything in the picture, even his hair and eyes.

He gently folded the paper and set it back into the suitcase before turning to the tiny closet and swung the doors open to reveal the small collection of clothes that had been donated to him by Mrs. Wrinehart. The only things inside that he knew belonged to him were a long, soft black leather jacket and matching black leather pants.

He reached in and took hold of them then quickly and precisely folded them to fit in the small suitcase before moving to remove the few other items of clothing he had been allowed to call his own. After folding each he set them in the suitcase on top of the black leather garments and deftly closed the lid and locked it.

He stood still a moment just listening to his breathing, trying to shake off the nervous flutter of his heart.

He knew it now.

What he had to do.

He had to leave.

He had to find himself.

The blue eyed boy he saw sometimes in his dreams, he had to find him.

The gray eyed man whose grin seemed never to falter, he had to find him.

He needed to know, who he was, where he had come from and why his dreams were haunted by people he didn't know.

It was time for him to leave.

With a deep breath he turned quickly to make the bed that had once been his own and picked up his suitcase, pausing just long enough to stare at his reflection in the mirror before turning once again to leave his room, for the very last time.


	5. Of Dreams and Pubs

  
Chapter 5   
  
He knew it was a dream, he'd been having the same dream for years, ever since his mother had first told him the story of how AVALANCHE had taken on the worlds strongest person and saved the planet from destruction.  
  
hands reaching up and caressing tense and heated skin   
  
Everything about the dream was the same, except now he had a face for the body that touched him in his dream.  
  
whispered moaning and ragged breaths against his skin   
  
Piercing azure eyes set in seemingly delicate pale skin, skin that for some reason you thought would shattered if it were touched.  
  
intense sapphire gaze that pined him to the spot as his hands, lips and tongue worked   
  
A slightly wiry but deceptively strong body that required hours of training to maintain the secret strength hidden within.  
  
a sudden motion that brought a scream from his lips, his body arched in pleasure   
  
Feather soft golden hair that reminded one more often then not of a chocobo, so stubborn that it would not do as you willed no matter how much you tried, hair that refused to stay down completely.  
  
feather soft touches to ease his tension, a hand raised to push sweaty strands of hair from his face   
  
It was impossible to say no, to turn away from that piercing gaze, that ever so slightly feminine face, those deceptively powerful arms that you would embrace you and shelter you from harm.  
  
stroke after stroke, pressure building, arching into his caress...release   
  
A man born to be great, to protect others, to defeat all odds...Cloud Strife.  
  
Tide woke somewhat groggily and pushed himself into a sitting position. Moving one hand to his forehead he tried to push the heated dream from his mind as he looked around.  
  
There was a slight whimper next to him and he looked down to see the pale face of the planet's savior scrunched up in pain, haunted by whatever lay inside his own dream.  
  
/Looks like I'm not the only one dreaming tonight./ He thought absently then moved one hand as if to rouse the blond from his nightmare.  
  
"Don't."  
  
Tide started and his eyes darted around the small camp only to see a pair of glowing red eyes watching him from the other side of the camp, their owner was hidden in shadows, making it impossible to tell who it was.  
  
"What...?"  
  
The eyes moved, obviously their owner was standing and soon the small amount of light from the glowing fire materia illuminated the figure. It was Shiina.  
  
"Let him sleep, sometimes nightmares are necessary to help fight your inner demons and from what I've heard he must have more than his fair share by now." The SOLDIER general informed him quietly.  
  
Tide merely nodded then looked around again. "Where's Vincent?" He asked in a whisper so as not to disturb Cloud.  
  
She turned slightly to look into the forest. "Scouting." She replied simply then looked at Tide with a slightly wicked gleam in her eyes. "Wanna play a game?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Before she could say anything else there was a rustling from the bushes behind Tide and Cloud and Shiina's hands shot behind her back to where her blade were secured, drawing them both she moved and in a few quick strides she was standing between Tide and the bushes.  
  
Tide watched her in confusion. "What's wrong? You said Vincent went out to scout, it's probably just him."  
  
"Wrong, I doubt very much that Mr. Valentine would make so much noise and even if it was him he would have shown himself by now...something doesn't feel right..." Suddenly she visibly started and turned sharply to look the brunette in the eye. "Wake him up...Wake up Cloud now." She said in an urgent whisper.  
  
Sensing the urgency in her words he quickly nodded and turned quickly to shake the slumbering form awake. There was a moments hesitation before the blonds eyes fluttered open then focused on Tide. "What?" He asked groggily. "Trouble." The teen said simply and pointed to where Shiina stood just behind him and slightly to the right, weapons drawn and crouched in one of many Wutaian fighting stances.  
  
What is it?He asked, calling forth the Ultima Weapon's awareness.  
  
Tonberry's, many of them.  
  
Cloud moved to a sitting position and reached for the weapon, grabbing hold of the hilt he moved to stand but just as he did so a figure moved out of the bushes in front of the white haired woman. A hiss escaped both Shiina and Cloud in perfect unison and Cloud reached out with one hand to tap Tide on the shoulder.  
  
"Get behind me and get ready, this is probably going to get messy." The blond ex-SOLDIER instructed quickly then ran his free hand over Ultima Weapons materia slots to make sure they were all there.  
  
The brunette nodded curtly even though he knew the older man could see and slowly moved backwards to where his things were neatly piled. As he secured his Premium Heart gloves he hear a rustling from the other side of the camp and looked up just in time to see two more Tonberry's appear from the bushes.  
  
"Cloud." He warned quietly.  
  
The blond turned his head to look over his shoulder then swore quietly.  
  
Another rustle to the side announced the appearance of yet another Tonberry, followed by another and then another until they were surrounded.  
  
"Any ideas boss?" Shiina asked wryly her eyes darting across the Tonberry's in front of her.  
  
"Don't attack until they do, if we're lucky they'll move along."  
  
Tide frowned as he watched the short green monsters. "They're just Tonberry's right? They shouldn't be that hard to get rid of."  
  
The boy has much to learn  
  
Shiina looked over her shoulder at Cloud and gave him a quick grin as if to say that she had heard the Ultima Weapons opinion. "They're Master Tonberry's kiddo, stronger, faster and meaner then your normal garden variety Tonberry so watch your back."  
  
He's still young, he has time to learn.  
  
Does he?  
  
He ignored the last comment as he watched the Tonberry. How many are there?  
  
Can you not sense them?  
  
I count twelve  
  
You count poorly, count again  
  
Frowning he swept the area again this time letting his focus relax so it would not settle on just the foes he could see. /Twenty/  
  
Twenty...will they attack?  
  
Almost certainly, be wary these creatures are not normal, the 'mako' as you humans call it has altered them  
  
The blond grimaced. "There's twenty of them out there, somehow they were altered by mako so be careful both of you."  
  
"What about Vincent?" Tide asked then crouched into a ready position as the Tonberry started to move as one towards them.  
  
Cloud tightened his grip on Ultima Weapon. "He can look after himself, I suggest you do the same. Attack if they get in range otherwise just watch."  
  
They stood there for a tense moment backs to each other before one of the Master Tonberry launched itself at them with surprising speed and was quickly followed by the others...  
  
He raised his drink and took mouthful before just as he heard someone ran past the pub door shouting.  
  
"Have you found him yet?!"  
  
"No, you?!"  
  
"Not yet, we've gotta keep looking, we have to find him before she gets out of control!"  
  
He sighed and hunched his shoulders even further only to feel someone tap him on the shoulder. "What?"  
  
"Ahhh...shouldn't you..."  
  
"Don't be stupid."  
  
"But she's your...."  
  
"I know..."  
  
"Then why..."  
  
"No deathwish."  
  
The barkeep moved over toward him and grabbed his empty mug before replacing it with a fresh one. "How long do you think it will be?" He asked casually.  
  
He looked up then tilted his head to the side. "Not sure...a few hours." He felt the tap on his shoulder again and sighed. "What?"  
  
"Umm..."  
  
"No."  
  
"I didn't say anything."  
  
"Don't need to."  
  
"But..."  
  
"No." He said with a note of finality, there was no way he was going to 'calm' her down, not when she was like this, it didn't matter how much bigger he was than her.  
  
The barkeep looked over his shoulder at the other man. "There are some things you just don't do, especially when they involve an angry woman." He said sagely.  
  
"Amen." He said and swallowed the remains of his mug.  
  
A well aimed stone brought the bird soaring out of the sky to collide into the stony ground.  
  
He'd been hunting for an hour now but there wasn't much to show for it, a few fish and a couple of birds. Regardless, it would be enough to keep him going until he came to another place where there was more. He'd acquired quite a large amount of money from ripping apart the monsters that had tried to make a meal out of him, hopefully enough to buy some more clothes then some proper food, maybe even a real bed if he was lucky.  
  
With a sigh he moved over to where the bird had crashed into the ground and picked up its carcass, he wasn't sure whether it was his stone or the crash that had killed it but it was dead now.  
  
"Lucky, you don't have to live in this hell hole any more, wonder where you went, bird heaven?" He snorted a laugh as he made his way back to his makeshift camp and added the bird to the rest of his catch before taking a seat on the ground and resting against a large boulder.  
  
He eyed his small bounty for a moment before sighing and reaching for one of the fish that he'd cleaned earlier with the aid of a stone. He bit into it with a slight grimace, it wasn't the best food but it would do until he found something else.  
  
Until he found the green and blue eyed men.  
  
Vincent glided into the fray Peacemaker firing again and again in rapid succession directly aimed at one of the Master Tonberry a few direct hits to its head and it fell, he wasted no time in moving onto the next one. "Cloud!"  
  
"Vincent, what took you so long?" Cloud asked as he cleaved one in half then quickly piveted to one side to avoid being hit.  
  
"Ran into some trouble," He said as he took aim and fired again making another drop to the ground is a spray of blood. "Seems I'm not the only one."  
  
Shiina laughed as she dashed about slicing Tonberry after Tonberry as she went he actions just short of a blur. "You could say that."  
  
Without warning Tide suddenly let out a startled cry and he fell backwards.  
  
"Tide!" Cloud shouted and tried to hack his way through the green monsters but as soon as he cut through one another took its place.  
  
In a flash of white Shiina was there blocking an attack with her blades. "Get up!" She screamed at him, though there was no fear or anger in her voice.  
  
"Hn." Tide nodded and leapt to his feet and charged back into the fight.  
  
Only to see Cloud cleave the last of the Tonberry in twain.  
  
A hand fell on his shoulder and he looked up to see Shiina standing next to him. "Not bad, you just need to work on your balance, reaction time, reflexes and hand eye co-ordination."  
  
Tide snorted a laugh. "Anything else?" He asked, one eyebrow raised.  
  
Shiina laughed and pinched one of his cheeks then moved forward to where Cloud and Vincent were crouched over a Tonberry corpse. "How about you're next paycheck?"  
  
Tide's jaw dropped as he watched she became engrossed in a conversation with Vincent and Cloud, the smile never leaving her face.  
  
AN: So sorry for the late update! I'll try to get the next chapter done quicker, also to all those who gave me a review, I wuv u!!!!!!! ( 


	6. The Forbidden City

Chapter 6   
  
He made his way down the street and absently pushed disobedient strands of long crimson hair out of his line of sight.  
  
It had taken him longer then he expected to get from Kalm to Costa Del Sol, nearly a month over land then two more weeks on top of that crossing the ocean. He sighed in resignation but stood there a moment longer to absorb some of the suns warmth into his skin.  
  
The two climates were completely different. Kalm was cooler and rained more often then not these days while Costa Del Sol managed to maintain it's tropical climate after Meteor's near hit.  
  
Swinging his bad up onto his shoulder and continued down the gangplank into the resort.  
  
It was time for the fun to start.  
  
Cloud sighed then stood and stretched his arms over his head effectively cracking his back, neck, shoulders and elbows. It was time to get moving but the place they had to move to wasn't the most desirable location on the map.  
  
Midgar, the Forbidden City, the new name for the old city.  
  
No one was allowed into the city ever since monsters somehow started to make their way in and get out of control. The pillar structure of support that ShinRa had become over the years had wavered and with it so did the security of the city.  
  
No one was safe anymore, SOLDIER and the Turks were out of commission for some time after the triumph over Sephiroth and Genova and the regular police had their hands full trying to stop the riots, but when the worst came to worst they realized there was nothing they could do, so they joined in, lent their panic and fear to the riots, to the terrified masses.  
  
As soon as the small amount of security had faded the monsters swarmed the city and began to tear things apart, they fed on the flowing mako they discovered and slowly began to change. They mutated into the stuff of nightmares.  
  
In a day the city had been overrun, the gates to the city were sealed and those who had decided they wanted to try their luck and survive their own way or die in the city were locked inside. A worldwide law was created then, let no man enter, let no man cross the threshold into the Forbidden City, lest you condemn him to death and sign his death certificate.  
  
For years the law went unchallenged, no one disputed it, no one wanted to.  
  
But now for some reason someone had entered the ruined city, someone had crossed the threshold into an area that made the frontline appear like a child's playpen.  
  
Now it was up to their tiny group to go in after him and bring him out alive or recover proof of death.  
  
Cloud lowered his arms to his sides then turned his gaze to Shiina, the new white haired SOLDIER general and nodded.  
  
It was time.  
  
"Stay close." He didn't need to turn around to know who was talking or who they were talking to.  
  
Vincent, ex-Turk, beast, guardian, companion, man, mystery.  
  
Tide, child of a comrade in arms, companion, friend, innocent.  
  
Tide would learn a valuable lesson by traveling with them, he would learn how to appreciate life, no matter how bleak and worthless it may appear at times. He would learn to treasure it and he would learn to protect, that no price was to high to protect the fragile thing.  
  
Cloud took a deep breath then turned his gaze over his shoulder to his companions one last time. "Remember, the PHS is useless in here now, so if you get separated, you're on your own. As soon as the sun sets we'll come back to this gate to set up camp, I don't expect to find what we're looking for in just a few ours. If the information Reeve and Cid game me is right, this will probably take a few days at least."  
  
They each nodded in turn then he closed his eyes, clenched his jaw and listened to the pounding of his heart.  
  
His feet started moving and the others followed.  
  
Azure eyes glowed intensely as he led them into the Forbidden City, a city that had once been the center of everything, the last place he wanted to return to.  
  
The place he first met them.  
  
Aeris.  
  
Zack.  
  
Sephiroth.  
  
The Forbidden City.  
  
A city of bitter memories.  
  
The city.  
  
Midgar.  
  
God the suspense just drips, doesn't it?  
  
Anyway thanks for the reviews so far everyone, they definitely brighten my day and make it that much easier to write knowing what you think.  
  
In other words...KEEP 'EM COMIN'! 


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